Lucia and the Blue Ring
by Panda Pandemic
Summary: Lucia and Raven are sisters- and best friends. But when their mom falls off the rails, Rave gets into an accident, and weirdest of all, a glowing blue ring is following Lucy around. But then the stranger in red comes, and takes Rave away from Lucy. Will Lucia accept the blue ring, or will she run, and doom her sister in the process? (Note that this occurs in 2321, don't expect Hal)
1. Don't Give Her Sugar!

"Raven and Lucia Carlen were two very different girls."

"Raven Isabella Carlen was a bright, happy kid, always smiling, but mischievous from the day she was born. She didn't much care for academics, but wasn't rude the way some other children were to their teachers. Her raven-black hairs were what she was named for, a name that became especially fitting after the first time she tried to "take flight", by nearly jumping off the high kitchen counter. Her eyes were a curious shade of cobalt, which looked nearly black when they were looked at the right way."

"Lucia Amethyst Carlin was the kind of girl to stand on the sidelines, to not get involved. She could often be seen at the edge of the playground, inhaling a book. She did well in all her grades, in most subjects the top of her class. She had the same striking blue eyes as her sister, but didn't have that black glint to them; hers had a rather more light-blue tint, and with her platinum blonde hair, she was often called a little angel during her younger years. Nobody really associated with her, partially due to the fact that Lucia wasn't responsive half of the time, due to her head being incredibly far inside a book."

"Yes, these two girls were different."

"But they had one common trait; if it was quality or a curse, no one yet knew."

"They had-"

 **"** **The Blood. Don't say any more than that, boy; what happened with Maya was the least of what will happen to you if you tell."**

 **"** **Oh… you were televising, weren't you? Well, to all the viewers out there… pretend you never saw this. Or we'll come for you. And you can't run fast enough, or hide well enough to escape us."**

 **"** **Act as if you never heard the name Raven Isabella Carlen, or everything you love will die in an inferno of ice."**

 **_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\\_/\/\**

 **Five Years Before Bold Voice (BBV)**

"Amy, I swear, if you don't get your nose out of whatever book it's in today, and come down here right this minute, Izzy gets your dessert for the next month!" Monica yelled. We were supposed to call her Mother Dearest, but I found Monica less of a mouthful. I hid my book under my mattress to save it from tonight's book sweeps. I hated how opposed Monica and Jerry were to my books. They kept on insisting that I Get Out And Play With The Other Kids, in all caps because apparently there is a million-to-the-billionth-power ways to say "hey kid, we have one perfect child, and we don't want to look bad with your antisocial ways, so get out there and become friends with everyone!" Yeah. Parents can be totally naïve. And they usually have ulterior motives behind everything. But apparently they're doing "The Right Thing" by limiting my time for reading at home to half an hour, forty-five tops. But I'm lucky that I have the teacher I do, because she requires at least half-an-hour of reading after class. And my parents wouldn't want me messing up my grades because of an age-old grudge. More on that later.

I was contemplating coming down, not because of the possibility of losing my dessert, but the fact that Izzy might eat it, and she was hyper enough with only _her_ share.

Shuddering at the thought of a doubly hyperactive Rave, I flew down the stairs, hoping that there was a bit of toast left.


	2. A Profound Breakfast

I came downstairs with a fake smile on my face. "It's better making sacrifices," I thought, "than having to deal with a sugar-rushed Raven."

I sat the dinner table, my third-favorite piece of furniture in the house. It was fine oak, polished to a reflective luster. On the edges were beautifully engraved flowers and birds, made by someone with an incredible eye for detail. The best part, though, were the legs. The twisting and twirling oak legs were both sturdy, yet delicate. It was almost a shame that it was made for people to eat on, especially people like _Jerry_ eating on it.

I had to admit though, the food was delicious. Though Jerry had many faults, ineptitude in the kitchen was not one of him. The kitchen was his realm, a holy place to him. Rave and I weren't even allowed in there without express permission from Jerry himself.

Avoiding Monica's curious stare, I looked through the window to the Walkers' house. Their flowery yard perked me up for a moment. The beautiful daisies and petunias brought back happy memories of days spent with Mrs. Walker gardening, conversing on light topics. Mrs. Walker was a grief counselor, and Mr. Walker had been a doctor.

But it was impossible to ignore Monica for long without her getting angry, so I turned back to her. "How are you?" I say, hoping that she doesn't notice my cringe when I smell the reek of alcohol on her breath.

"Well enough."

It was obvious that she had been drinking, and that she was fighting a serious hangover. I truly hated her when she got like this. I was only glad that Raven was nose-blind, and that she was probably the most optimistic (and oblivious) person in the house.

I was five minutes older than Rave, but it felt more like five years. She was so… so young. She didn't know about all the injustice in the world, about all the mistakes our mother made. Rave believed that everyone in her family was perfect, and that they all loved each other. I didn't have the heart to tell her that it was more like Jerry only married Monica for her money, and vica versa. The only real love in the household was between Rave and me. We were sisters, in the strongest use of the word. I'd die before letting her get hurt. And I knew she felt the same.

Breakfast was a time for profound thoughts.

That was my last thought before I fainted.


End file.
